Proposals to convert a pub near Cockfield made "unviable" in the coronavirus pandemic into a home have been blocked by planners.

The owners of the Plough and Fleece Inn, in Great Green, applied to Babergh District Council seeking permission to change the use of the building last month.

In planning documents submitted alongside the application, the landlords said the pub had been forced to close due to Covid-19 restrictions and the business "had been unviable for some time".

The documents added: "The lockdown has been the last straw for many licenced premises which were already borderline in terms of their viability.

“It is a beleaguered industry which will not recover in the short term and which may never fully recover."

However, Babergh planners refused the application as the property had not been listed for sale and no viability assessments had been submitted.

The planners also said the applicant "has not demonstrated that other appropriate employment uses have been fully explored".